Bartlett chief of staff steps down

It’s been a difficult few months for Maryland Sixth District Congressman Roscoe Bartlett- with the latest blow coming with his longtime chief of staff resigning in order to challenge for the seat himself. Harold Bud Otis, chief of staff and campaign manager for Congressman Roscoe Bartlett, has resigned effective Thursday amid news reports that he was considering a run for his boss’ seat. The Montgomery Gazette reports that Lisa Wright- spokeswoman for Bartlett- said that Otis realized- given rumors about his potential run- that he had to step down. The resignation comes as former state Senator Alex Mooney announced that he has formed a campaign fundraising committee, “Mooney for Congress.” A one-time aide to Bartlett, Mooney said in an interview that he had been willing to wait for his former mentor to step down before running. But Mooney said he changed his mind amid reports of Otis thinking about running for the seat.